A dim light flickered into life, floating from the centre of the shrouded rooms and over to the windows I could see them through. Something else was lit with the flame and suddenly, a whole string of lanterns flared into being, surrounding the bright gate and myself. It was daylight, but they saw the necessity to light all these lanterns? I shrugged mentally and my sight sharpened to see two forms coming from behind the screens. The bulk of the first one was frightening, but I kept it down, and caught sight of his companion following. The second was of shorter stature, but definitely wide and fit, like a footballer. "What is your business here?" A deep, demanding voice boomed.

I jumped a foot in the air, my voice wedged tight in my throat. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump that had settled there. My first attempt was a mere croak, which prompted the voice to come again, no better than the first time. "Speak!" It commanded imperiously.

It took me a moment to find my voice, "I…I am looking for W…Wiccan College?"

The body that the frightening voice belonged to bent over the railings to peer closer at me and I was only able to give another shocked croak as I saw his eye! Yes; eye! There was only one in the middle of his frowning forehead, burgundy and sharp.

"And what business do you have there, youngling?"

He spoke like he came from one of those old tales, with the monster guarding the bridges and gateways, but then I realised; that was probably the case. I was tempted to take up my bags and suitcase and run in the opposite direction of the gate and domineering voice, but common-sense came to my rescue. My face went numb and I shivered as a powerful gust of wind howled from behind me, the breeze blowing lengthening locks. I could already see some ringlets forming, but squeezed my eyes shut and let the hair shorten again. I wasn't so sure about my eyes though. If I was ever too stressed or feeling an intense emotion, then my façade would begin to wear off and leave my true form, but I was able to change back to the nondescript features if I thought hard enough.

I looked up again and opened my mouth to answer, but my voice wouldn't come. "Uh…"

The figure suddenly snapped up, his back straightening and he turned to the shorter person, "Let her pass."

I was stunned, frozen in my spot and looked up to the gate with a bewildered stare as the iron bars were drawn back from the gate, which opened and revealed a pathway narrower than the one I was currently standing in. Plants and mist hung over the trail before me and I again felt the irrational instinct to turn and high-tail, when I swallowed it down and picked up my suitcase, slinging the heavy bags over one shoulder. "Uh… Thank you?" I called softly up to the towers, where the two men were standing and observing me as I stumbled slightly before regaining my balance. They didn't wave and I kept my eyes ahead, frozen wide.

That one eye thing had to be a trick, right? Maybe it was to scare off any unwanted visitors. It had certainly made me want to reconsider what I was doing there. Walking inside the gates, I had to look back as they shut again with a grinding metallic screech. It didn't help that the only course I had let was a mist shrouded botanic path. It was like a living nightmare.

With a stubbornness I didn't know I possessed, I kept putting one foot in front of the other and was engulfed in the mist almost as immediately as I had taken my first step. The dew clung to my clothing and exposed skin, making me shiver as I worked to stay standing. All too soon, the botanic erosion ended and I found myself on a dock, a skull surmounted on a spear at the end. I was incomprehensible as I stumbled near it, my terrified emotions rising and making me drop my luggage. "What the…"

The skulls' lower jaw, hanging loosely before, now snapped into place and I cried out in shock, falling over my bag as I struggled to get away from it. I wasn't one for surprises, you could say. "Name?" The disconnected voice came from the jaw as it flapped almost comically to form the word. It was strange, since it had no voice box anymore; that could be why it sounded so robotic.

"Um…Uh."

"Please, repeat."

"Th… Theia E…Eden," I stuttered.

The left eyehole in the skull lit up and one big lack iris appeared, peering at my fallen figure. "Please proceed," It said, the iris disappearing and leaving nothing but a slack jawed skull again.

I made to get up and found myself on my backside again, afraid of what would come if I regained my feet again. The distant splash drew my attention to the murky waters stretching away from the dock I was on, shapes moving in the greeny water. I scrambled to my feet and tried to control my breathing; after all, it was probably just a fish.

Another splash.

A very big fish! It sounded almost as big as me! I took a chance and moved closer to the edge, dropping to my knees and sidling closer to the edge. A huge, silver tentacle slithered by underneath me. "Oh boy, oh boy!" I found myself muttering, my body quivering with a new-found fear. Another splash came, but it was something solid—like wood—hitting the water, drawing back out and diving in again. An oar? That meant that there would be a boat coming near here. Maybe I could ask where it was I was supposed to go.

I raised my head to peer across the murky sea of foul water, a distant silhouette of a boat and tall, cloaked figure coming into my spectrum. This place would be the ideal place for any cult or Halloween fanatic.

I sat down as I waited for the person in the boat to reach the dock I was sitting on, twiddling my thumbs and trying to keep my breathing under control. The boat bumped softly against the dock and I looked up to find a man standing on the barge, the cloaks' hood pulled back to reveal a perfectly normal, perhaps plain face, staring down to me. But the eyes were nothing normal, just black, endless pits. "Theia of Eden?" His tones were cold, frosty, but I was able to nod, hurrying to stand up. He gestured to the boat, "Please hop in. I will take you to Wiccan College."

I swallowed, but complied and took up my two bags, looking back to find that my suitcase was already gone and in the boat. The man was waiting for me to cautiously get in and as we left the dock, I threw one helpless glance behind us, wishing I had never gathered up the courage to walk in through the gates. I was too far in to retreat now and the only choice was to wait for this long and silent boat trip across who-knows-what infested river. I tried to ignore the constant splashes and screeches as things—I didn't dare think about what—touched the boat from underneath the water.

I was so nervous when the boat was stopped, that my teeth were chattering. "This is your stop, Theia of Eden."

I jumped, turning with wide eyes to the man, "Um… T…thank you."

He bowed his head deeply, taking up the suitcase and bags before depositing them on the dry bank, smiling almost sympathetically as I got up shakily and jumped onto the sand. As I would've turned back to make sure he was still there, there was nothing. Not a ripple was on the surface of the unclear murk. The boat and man had disappeared into thin air. This was only something to add to the rising hysteria and I faltered in my steps as I went to take up my luggage.

My head buzzed as somebody screamed nearby and my head snapped up to the mass in front of me. It was amazing, yet creepy. A huge castle, grey and mossy, stood high on the bank, proud and almost taunting me. There was no-one on the bank, or outside the… college? It was startling that the College I had been enrolled in since young was more suited for a medieval timeline. All the human colleges were more modern, but I guess what I was and whatever attended here were less… customary to the human race.

I didn't know what to expect here; after all, I had been raised for most of my childhood in the human world, subjected to their education and disappointment they gave. I had been proud when I had finally been able to 'fit in' at the Orphanage and had long observed their ways, before able to adjust. Now, I wasn't sure if they would act as the mortals had. I would have to accept it; I hadn't any other place to go for another year. Then, I would be a legal adult in the human world and be able to decide my own path. But I really belonged to this… world. I wondered if they had similar laws to the mortal. That was unlikely, but at least I'd be able to learn.

"Come on, Theia. You can do it," I murmured to myself, "Just one step, and then another. You can do this."

My self-encouragement was at least effective and I began to walk up the loose sand. The bank was short and when my canvas' met the springy black grass, I was able to have the first glance of my temporary home in full.

It was like Hogwarts! But creepier.

I had always loved the imaginations of humans, especially J.K Rowling. She was like a Suffragette in the world of publishment. Though, I didn't like the films spawned from the books. There was so much wanting. Anyway, as for the comparison of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to Wiccan College, this was reality and a place I would be spending the rest of my education in. It had the same mysterious air to it, with turrets and stone, but the architectural structure and age of it far exceeded Hogwarts. It looked older and… well; demanding. The stone cobbled walkway to the huge College doors were of pine, but sanded and varnished to perfection. I was standing on the stone bridge when my senses pricked and a tail came sweeping out of nowhere. There was no warning, only my gut instinct to forewarn me of the unseen attack. Intuitively, I dropped the luggage and dove to the right, sharply cutting forward and jumping over the extended scaly tail. "Wha?!" I had to fall back to narrowly avoid being pummelled by another assault and flipped over from my back, darting over to the cover of the bridges' stone walls. The beast that had struck was confused momentarily, but realised where I was and a huge, clawed talon grabbed hold of the edge, an inch from my head. I scrambled away, just before the beast had clutched the space I had been in with the other front talon. I flitted back to my luggage, unsure where to go now.

The sight that met my gaze made me shudder. A huge, scaly chest thatched and scarred by years of battling against both nature and men, with large, torn and horned wings splayed out from its body. Oh; its body! I had never seen such a bulk, nor such vivid red, which deepened to the ashiest of black coal in patches. I was able to zip to the side as another malicious swipe of the tail came and jumped as fast as I could over the thick scales. Its head suddenly bent, the long, scarred neck extending so that it was on eye-level with me.

One white, blind eye met mine, the other as deep as the coal hue of its scales. It held such hate and contempt for me that I shivered. Its pockmarked jaw and razor, chipped fangs were shown and I was only able to dart back as its wicked tongue whipped out to try and reach me. Without a thought, I leapt away and rolled past its talons to fetch my bags. The suitcase was probably the hardest to take up, so I threw it over the lowered head of the beast, my bags slung around my neck as I shot into the air and found my footing on the elongated snout of the dragon, spinning around in a full circle before landing with a thud on my feet. I took up my suitcase and heard the dragon raising its head. The doors were only four bounds away and I could make it. I had to!

My mind immediately took an unwanted turn as I remembered the wolf and— I cut myself off and reached out my hand as it touched the door handle above my head. Then, an almighty roar sounded, my mind flaring into a wild fire as I squeezed through the door and slammed it shut behind me, flames flailing from underneath the door before the dragon stopped to catch a breath and roar again in fury. I clenched my fists as I anticipated a force hitting the door and bringing it down, when nothing happened.

The swooping of wings carrying the beast away made me sigh in relief and slump against the door, letting a heavy 'phew' coming through my lips. Of course, my relief to be away from the beast was soon washed away as I realised my hair had turned into powdery blonde ringlets and was clouding around my flushed face. I could've sworn my eyes were also the golden honey I tried so hard to hide. My bangs covered my eyes from the people I could suddenly feel staring at me and my cheeks heated up. I closed my eyes and let my hair shorten and straighten out, my desired muddy brown eyes replacing the honey hue. It was a good thing my body had kept the nondescript appearance. I looked up to the people watching, my cheeks tomato red. "Uh…"

Someone, I wasn't sure who, came up and put an ice cold hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I found a middle-aged man staring down to me with wide eyes. "What happened miss?" He had a papery, patient voice, with a faint European accent, maybe Hungarian.

I tried to form a coherent thought, and succeeded with, "The Dragon…it attacked and I…"

He sniffed the air for a moment and then nodded to himself. He let a kind smile touch his white face, "You need not worry about that anymore. Please, take your place in line."

I nodded numbly and walked over to the line he had gestured, holding my luggage and keeping my head low. I had almost just been murdered by a dragon, had witnessed a skull talking independently on a spike, crossed a murky, suspicious river and was now standing behind a huge white snowball. It wasn't a snowball, so much as a yeti! I wouldn't be able to take much more of this…